IPART has reviewed the maximum prices that Central Coast Council can charge for its water, sewerage and stormwater drainage services from 1 July 2019 to 30 June 2022.

Our Final Report outlines the prices we have set for water, sewerage and stormwater drainage services, as well as for: trade waste services; miscellaneous services; and, bulk water transfers between the Council and Hunter Water (and vice-versa).

Why

We last set prices for the former Gosford City Council and Wyong Shire Council from 1 July 2013. These former Councils have merged to form the Central Coast Council.

This is the first time we have set prices for the Council as a merged entity, and we considered the extent to which prices should be aligned between the former Gosford and Wyong areas.

How

We engaged expert consultants to assist our review of the Council’s proposed capital and operating costs. We set prices to allow the Council to recover only the efficient costs of supplying its services. We also made decisions to:

Set prices for three years.

Reduce the Council’s proposed revenue by 10% (or $54 million) over three years.

Align water and stormwater prices across the Central Coast.

Maintain separate sewerage prices for the former Gosford and Wyong areas.

Under our prices, bills will fall for all residential and most non-residential customers. Bills will increase for some non-residential customers in the former Wyong area.

In making our decisions, we considered the impacts of our prices on the Council and its customers.